50th anniversary

We are having a great week of celebrating and hope you can join us for our capstone event on Sunday afternoon: KLRU’s 50th Birthday Party! Your favorite PBS characters will be celebrating KLRU’s birthday with the city of Austin. Cookie Monster, Arthur, SuperWhy, Clifford, Maya & Miguel and others will take over 2ND Street with fun for the whole family including a Central Texas Gardener activity, story time with local celebrities, Arts In Context dance demonstrations and much more.

At the Birthday Party, we will also be celebrating the launch of our BRAND NEW family membership called KLRU Explorers! KLRU Explorers goes beyond a typical Kids Club – from events to programming to trips – and there’s an opportunity for engagement and fun for every member of your family.

When your family joins KLRU Explorers, you not only support your favorite public television station, but you also get so much in return!

Discounts to local family-friendly and kid-centered businesses, museums and attractions. You will receive a KLRU Explorer card and a Go Local Austin card for hundreds of deals all over town!

A bi-monthly eNewsletter with upcoming program, community events, and Explorer discount highlights for kids and families.

Want to see Clifford at the Long Center or a great musical performance at the Austin symphony? KLRU Explorers will get automatic entry into all family-fun ticket giveaways!

You’ll also receive special invitations to all family and kid-friendly events at KLRU

We want to see your adventures – a visit to the zoo? A family photo in the wildflowers? Share your family exploration photoswith us and we’ll share them on our website – a great way to showcase Austin and your awesome family!

And finally, as a KLRU Explorer we want you to explore beyond Austin’s City Limits:

Once a year, a KLRU Explorer family will receive an all-expenses paid trip to Washington DC to visit incredible museums, zoos, and meet your favorite PBS Kids characters!

For only $7 a month, your whole family will be part of the KLRU Explorers – and, if you’re a grandparent or close family friend, a KLRU Explorers membership would be a great gift to give any time.

Austin, TX — KLRU-TV, Austin PBS, announces that Luci Baines Johnson and Ian Turpin have created the Sandy and Dudley Youman Fund within the KLRU Endowment honoring two of the station’s key supporters and the station’s 50th anniversary.

“PBS’s success depends on having best friends, and KLRU, Ian, and I have all survived and thrived because of the selfless service and extraordinary talent of our unsung heroes Sandy and Dudley Youman,” Johnson said. “Their tireless commitment of time, talent and treasure has been a blessing beyond measure to PBS and to us and we know the greatest way to thank them is to give back to the cause they love.”

“Sandy and Dudley certainly have a place at center stage in the history of KLRU, and I’m very happy that this gift recognizes that and helps us continue the station’s great work into the next 50 years,” said KLRU CEO Bill Stotesbery.

The Sandy and Dudley Youman Fund, part of the KLRU Endowment, will be used to help support KLRU programming and events. The KLRU Endowment was established in 1991 to provide a permanent fund that furthers KLRU’s vision to make Central Texas the most vibrant, informed, and engaged community in the country through the creative use of educational and inspirational content.

Sandy Youman retired from KLRU in 2005 after a career at the station spanning two decades. While at KLRU, Youman was instrumental in building membership, increasing major donors and in creating the Producers Circle. Sandy and Dudley, a physician, have continued to support KLRU and other non-profit organizations in Austin through their boundless volunteer activities.

“As I told Luci,” Sandy Youman said, “This is a real ‘grace-gift,’ defined as thoroughly unexpected, unnecessary at a level of such magnitude, but certainly really appreciated! I am humbled and thrilled that through this fund we can continue to play a part in making a difference for KLRU; not only inspiring the next generation of Youmans, but for the KLRU families throughout Austin, Central Texas and beyond.”

About KLRU
KLRU-TV, Austin PBS, presents quality multimedia content that engages people in the thoughtful exchange of ideas, the expression of the arts, and enjoyable lifelong learning opportunities, resulting in a more vibrant community and a higher quality of life. In addition to providing locally produced and quality national television programming, KLRU is also a non-profit organization helping to build a stronger community through educational workshops, community engagement projects and public events. Known as the producing station of the longest-running live music television show Austin City Limits, KLRU has also worked on several other national productions including Overheard with Evan Smith and documentaries like Citizen Architect and Last Best Hope. Get more information about KLRU at klru.org.